Best video card to pair with a Pentium 4 with 350 watt psu?

[Potato13]

Hey guys, I would like to play some old games on my computer and I have:

-Pentium 4 515 (2.93 ghz)
-Intel G33/G31 Chipset Family Integrated Graphics (Replacing this)
-One stick of 2GB ram at 266 mhz (DDR2)
-PCIE x16 slot available? (check picture)

-350W PSU? (check picture)

The PSU says "Max DC Output: 350W"


Which video card should I pair with this to play old games and maybe even new games on lowest settings(I saw a guy on youtube running bf3 on a pentium 4) My monitor resolution is 1680x1050 and my budget is very low. Also, does my super slow ram make a difference? (266.1 mhz)

 

[panwala95]

NO RAM SPEED MAKES MINIMAL DIFFERENCE
as for the gfx card get a hd 7750 and be happyhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161403

 

[dudewitbow]

the 7750 is probably the highest you can go safely. the psu in questions 12v rail cannot exceed 300w, and going near that limit is not healthy for the psu.

 

[Potato13]

NO RAM SPEED MAKES MINIMAL DIFFERENCE
as for the gfx card get a hd 7750 and be happyhttp://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161403

I see that there is no blue vga port on that video card, will I need to buy a monitor with hdmi input? Can I go for something cheaper like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814102988 ?

 

[Kari]

I see that there is no blue vga port on that video card, will I need to buy a monitor with hdmi input?

nope, since the card comes with dvi-to-vga adapter.

edit the card you linked will be just fine, it is slower but should be good enough for the cpu...

 

[Potato13]

nope, since the card comes with dvi-to-vga adapter.

edit the card you linked will be just fine, it is slower but should be good enough for the cpu...

Thanks but I'm gonna continue looking for something even cheaper. There's lots of options :O

 

[Kari]

Thanks but I'm gonna continue looking for something even cheaper. There's lots of options :O

umm yeah. but for any kind of gaming, do avoid certain cards:
nvidia: any card with model number x10 or X20, like gt520, gt420 etc (also no 7000, 8000 or 9000 series anymore pls)
amd: anything with hd x3xx or x4xx, like hd5450 (and keep it above hd 3000 series)
those cards are only like 1 step above integrated chips and arent suitable for gaming.

 

[Kari]

I scanned throu newegg and this is the cheapest card that isn't totally useless, only borderline useless
passive hd6570, 1gig BUT only 64bit memory bus... $55
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814161409

so in comparison that 6670 you linked already looks a lot better

edit2 removed some stuff
looks like i got a bit carried away, too ambitious... lol
must be the heat

 

[fantastik250]

Umm, you will literally bottleneck the card. I also recommend the 7750 but for stronger systems. You have a 1 core CPU, and this card is much stronger than that. You will need other cards. Especially a low profile version where half the height of the card is smaller. The cards I recommended is a 5450, 6450, or 6570.

Something like this or what kari suggested:

MSI 6450 Low Profile
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127584

ASUS 6570 Low Profile
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121441

In regards to your RAM, it's actually running at 533 MHz, because it's a DDR2 (meaning double data rate).

 

[Potato13]

Umm, you will literally bottleneck the card. I also recommend the 7750 but for stronger systems. You have a 1 core CPU, and this card is much stronger than that. You will need other cards. Especially a low profile version where half the height of the card is smaller. The cards I recommended is a 5450, 6450, or 6570.

Something like this or what kari suggested:

MSI 6450 Low Profile
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814127584

ASUS 6570 Low Profile
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814121441

In regards to your RAM, it's actually running at 533 MHz, because it's a DDR2 (meaning double data rate).

Sorry to be a noob but what is low profile and why do I need it? Does it have something to do with the size of my case? I'm not sure if it's ATX or mATX if that is the correct term but I think a normal video card will fit.

 

[Potato13]

umm yeah. but for any kind of gaming, do avoid certain cards:
nvidia: any card with model number x10 or X20, like gt520, gt420 etc (also no 7000, 8000 or 9000 series anymore pls)
amd: anything with hd x3xx or x4xx, like hd5450 (and keep it above hd 3000 series)
those cards are only like 1 step above integrated chips and arent suitable for gaming.

Thanks for the tips, I will keep those in mind.

 

[fantastik250]

Just making sure, because if you close your case, the cable will be will tight inside the case. When you look at the cards I linked, it will be half the size in height. As I already explained in my previous post.

 

[Potato13]

Thank you everyone. I can't find a best answer because all of them were pretty good.

 

[Potato13]

Best answer selected by potato13.